Our Little Pumpkin

Ok, so here we have it--our little pumpkin.  Twenty-four weeks in the making, and totally visible on this beautiful autumn day.

It's hard to believe that in less the time that he/she has been with us inside my belly, they'll really be with us, outside my belly and here in our arms.  And this time next year, be walking (with help, I'm sure) around the pumpkin patch as well, taking mommy and daddy every which way through the tall grasses, finding big and little pumpkins to consider taking home.  Carefully watching the animals in the petting zoo, and maybe even imitating some of the sounds they make.  Sitting on the hay bales, playing in the corn box, meandering through the tot-sized maze of straw and cornstalks, peeking their head through the painted cutouts of halloween figures so mommy can take a picture to send to grandmas and grandpas . . . Ahh, I look forward to that time.

And yet in the meantime, I'm enjoying our little pumpkin right where he/she is.

The Best Weekend EVER! (Pt. 2)

As Raleigh said before he left the house last night for work, "This was the best weekend EVER!"  And I totally agree.  :)

After giving us a beautiful show at the ultrasound appointment on Friday and enjoying a lazy day with mom and dad on Saturday (which included a much needed 3.5 hour nap for mommy), baby made himself/herself known again late Saturday night into Sunday morning.

After an evening gathering at Auntie Megan and Uncle Byron's house and then ice cream with Grandma and Papa Malsom's house, we came home to shower and get ready for bed.  Raleigh was still brushing his teeth as I laid in bed reading.  I could feel the baby moving (nothing out of the ordinary) and was quietly enjoying the little kicks and flutters.  Raleigh climbed in, and as he did, I felt the elastic band on my underwear against my lower waist stretch.  "Sweetie, put your hand on my belly," I suggested.  "Here," As we've done several times before, I guided Raleigh's hand to my belly where he gently set it.  He waited.

"Whoa!" he said, half jumping back in bed, eyes open wide.

"Can you feel that?!" I asked, half knowing that his response meant he really did.  He nodded with excitement and his face lit up with a HUGE smile.  So did mine.  We'd both been waiting for this moment for so long, and now, it was finally here.  :)

Another 4-5 kicks more (and they were good kicks--the kind that make your hand move visibly on the belly), baby was done for the evening.  But man oh man that was a moment neither Raleigh nor I will soon forget; it was awesome!

For the rest of the weekend, and even now, every spare moment Raleigh gets he feels my belly for baby's movement.  Sometimes, our little one stays still while other times baby gives him a nudge or two just to say "Hi!".  One thing is for sure, though, both of us look forward to the day when we can both consistently feel him/her move around, and I think this weekend means that time is getting closer!  Wahoo!

The Best Weekend EVER! (Pt. 1)

Ok so yesterday was the best, and when I say that, I mean THE BEST!  We had our 20 week ultrasound, which even after just the first few passes of the wand we could make out the image of the most beautiful face we've ever seen.  Oh my--he/she is incredible!  Two eyes, a nose, lips, two ears, hands and feet . . . all where they should be.  He/she had their arms bent up near their head, to which I teased Raleigh: "He/She sleeps just like you do!"  We could count fingers and toes, and once baby sat still long enough (he/she was wiggling around so much the ultrasound tech had trouble keeping up), even the individual vertebrae in the spine were visible.  All of baby's measurements look good, and we could see all 4 chambers of the heart, different parts of the brain, and when the tech turned on a special color-coded function to see movement of liquids, baby's blood vessels lit up clearly.

Baby's profile

Five little fingers . . .

Squirming away, we got the spine!

Baby was moving around so much that several times we had to look away so as not to see a peek of their girlie or boy parts.  (We told the tech not to tell us either way, though afterwards she confirmed it was pretty obvious to her.)

All in all, it was just WONDERFUL!  It felt SO good to see with my own two eyes all is well.  Raleigh held my hand the whole time, and gave me gentle squeezes every now and then as a silent "I love you" message I picked up right away.  It was just such an awesome experience.  (And once again, Raleigh had to wipe a few tears away.)  :)

Face on right side, looking out.

After we left the doctor's office in a fog of bliss and amazement, we went to our favorite restaurant to celebrate our baby's health and the halfway point in our pregnancy.  At dinner I gave Raleigh a new MLS ring wrapped carefully in an "All Star Dad" mug, as a reminder of what an amazing man he is to both baby and me.  By the look in his eyes and the words that followed, I think he liked it.  In fact, I know he did.